Intermain A-Grade Conversion

This heritage building, built in 110 years ago, was being used for C grade office space. The owners wanted to convert it to A-grade space that reflected the industrial style of yesteryear. To do this required a significant upgrade to all the services in the building – including fire protection.

The design was done and the tender won, when planning discussions between the project manager, fire engineer, certifier and 2020 Fire Protection which identified that that the designs provided would not fit in the building, nor meet the deem-to-satisfy requirements of the BCA and may impinge upon the viability of the project. The issues related to the building having been inaccurately categorised as low-rise (under 25metres); yet it was actually high-rise (above 25 metres) and the impact this would have on the systems to be installed – particularly relating to the water supplies for hydrants and sprinklers.